The emergence of the minibus taxi industry came in the wake of the apartheid government’s policy of economic deregulation (initiated in 1987). Prior to deregulation, African taxi operators had to defy apartheid laws and strict regulations that were prejudicial to Africans. For many commuters, they have become the only viable means of public transportation.

The average minibus taxi covers 8000 km per month, transporting 3161 passengers spending roughly 65 minutes commuting over 2.3 trips per passenger per day. This equates to 14 million people making use of minibus taxi's each day. These Taxi's are by the far the preferred method of transportation by the majority of South Africans.

At the heart of the problem is the persistent struggle over control of this multi-billion randindustry that
carries over 60% of South Africa’s commuters.

When considering the violence associated with minibus taxi's in the Cape Peninsula region, a study entitled From Low Intensity War to Mafia War: Taxi violence in South Africa (1987 - 2000) concluded the following:

• As the state's control over the economy and society has weakened in the course of South Africa's transition, taxi associations have developed as informal agents of regulation, protection and extortion.

• Violent taxi associations called 'mother bodies' have been allowed to develop and expand virtually unchecked by the authorities. These organisations are behind most of the violence that has come to be associated with the industry. Mother bodies have used their considerable firepower and weight to resist recent government attempts to re-regulate the taxi industry and they are symptomatic of more generalized rising levels of organised crime in post-apartheid South Africa.

• Official corruption and collusion are major factors contributing to the continuation of taxi violence. In particular, the ownership of taxis by police and other government personnel directly aids criminality in the industry and exacerbates attempts to resolve the violence.

The South Africa minibus taxi industry has become an over traded highly competitive market, marked by frequent violent interactions. Many believe that the use of violence against commuter clients of the competitor as well as bus service clientele is a means of controlling both prices and competition.